District Court Division

Oakland County has 15 district courts which handle all offenses where the potential penalty is one year or less and all civil infraction traffic offenses.

They also conduct preliminary examinations for defendants who are charged with felonies.

The assistant prosecutors of the District Court Division are responsible for the prosecution of all state law misdemeanors and civil infractions.

For misdemeanors, they will handle the cases from arraignment through the final disposition (plea or trial) and sentencing. For civil infractions, they represent the People of the State of Michigan at the formal hearing, which is the final stage for a contested ticket.

It is important to note that misdemeanor and civil infraction cases can be issued under either state law or local ordinance. The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office has authority only for state law matters. If a case has been written under local ordinance, then the city or township attorney is the prosecutor.

The District Court Division is also responsible for the preliminary examinations for felonies that occur in Oakland County.

When a defendant is charged with a felony, the District Court Division schedules a preliminary examination to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

If sufficient evidence is established, then the case goes to the Circuit Court for the trial.

Preliminary examinations are conducted much like trials, with testimony and physical evidence being presented to the court. They are usually far shorter than trials, however, and in most cases are completed in less than an hour.

District Court Division handles approximately 15,000 cases each year, almost half of which are felonies. The number of cases that plead as charged for misdemeanors have exceeded 75% for the past four years. The Division has a conviction rate that has exceeded 70% for trials over the past four years.

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